An Empty Tomb

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

At dawn on Sunday, the two Marys and Salome go to the tomb to use spices to annoit Jesus body.  It is a reminder of the nameless woman who has already annointed Jesus earlier.  They see their quest as the best as quixotic as they know they will be unable to open the tomb.

But when they look, they find that the tomb is open, and they will be able to enter it.  There they see a young man dressed in white.  The man is not identified as an angel in this passage.  In fact the other young man identified by Mark is the one who has seen Jesus arrested but left his garment behind.  Is this the same person?

Don't be afraid, the women are told.  Jesus is gone and there is the empty tomb to prove it.  Contrary to much Christian art, the first proof of Jesus resurrection is not a power and light show but a dark empty cave.  It is not an unambiguous sign.

The young man continues with a message for the disciples, who have been absent since the garden.  And the first disciple mentioned is Peter.  Mark has focused on him as the primary example of a clueless disciple.  Tell them that Jesus has preceded them to Galilee.  They should look for him there rather than in the cemetery.  The disiples if they follow these instructions will see Jesus there.

But the women, the only ones who have remained through the ordeal of crucifixion and burial do not respond with joyful celebration.  Instead, they flee from the tomb.  Instead of telling everyone, they tell no one (although at some point they must have).  And the gospel ends with the word "because."  Properly translated the last phrase in Mark is "they were afraid because".  They seem not to have been much comforted by the young man in white in the tomb.

It is an exceptionally odd ending.  To some it has suggested that the end of the book was lost.  Other later sources have added verses which sometimes appear after verse 8 in translations.  The lack of a birth narrative and the lack of resurrection appearances lead some to suggest that Mark originally circulated as a book and that the front and rear covers were lost.

I like the abrupt ending.  In a way, it makes the women's story every reader's story.  Now we have heard the story of Jesus life and death and come to the empty tomb.  What will we do with the message.  The last sentence is like a fill in the blank.  They were afraid because _________.  Why do we think they were afraid to tell?  Why are we afraid to speak and remain silent with the good news?

Jesus Gives Up The Ghost

³³ At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. ⁴¹ In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

⁴² It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

After Jesus has been on the cross for three hours, a darkness covers the land as creation itself suffers with Jesus. And then at three, he cries out in Aramaic.  Mark offers a translation suggesting again that his audience is not the Jewish community in Israel.  "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" is his plaintive cry, a direct quote from Psalm 22.  Mark draws no Pollyannaish interpretation of Jesus suffering (or for that matter our own).  It is real and deep.  Jesus' final words in Mark are a lament.

Not only does Mark not expect his readers to not understand Jesus' words, the crowd gathered misinterprets him as well.  They understand him to call Elijah.  In that day and time, Elijah was seen as the equivalent of the patron saint of lost causes.  He had fed the widow when there was no other way out.  The crowd believes that Jesus' only hope at this point is the return of Elijah.

Someone runs and gets a sponge to try to get Jesus to drink some vinegar.  This would have a similar effect to smelling salts, returning Jesus to alertness.  But the crowd's effort to revive him for their entertainment ends instead with a loud cry and Jesus' final breath.

At that moment the temple curtain that separated the holy of holies from the common area of the temple is torn from top to bottom.  Beginning in heaven, the separation between God and humanity is removed with Jesus death.  It also seems a symbol that the temple that Jesus has condemned has now been abandoned by its primary center.  God has left the building.

We know from verse 1 in Mark that Jesus is the son of God.  No one should be surprised.  So far Mark has told us, a voice from heaven at Jesus baptism has said it, a demon has reiterated it, the  voice at the transfiguration has confirmed it.  But now, for the first time, it comes from the lips of a human being in the form of a confession.  It is not the statement of the now long absent disciples, but from a bystander to the crucifixion, the centurion who stands guard.  Jesus' way of dying is enough of a witness that he believes Mark's central thesis.

Mark rather abruptly brings our focus on some women who stand at a distance from Jesus (just as Simon Peter has done earlier).  They are Mary, Mary, Salome and other women who have been with and met the needs of Jesus.  These invisible disciples who have followed in service are now the only ones close enough to see what is happening.  The named male disciples have all fled, but these women have such a strong attachment to their Lord that they have stayed through the crucifixion.

Joseph of Arimathea, another occasional character, approaches Pilate to make sure Jesus is buried before the Sabbath.  He is noted for his prominence and his commitment to looking for the kingdom of God.  He approaches Pilate "boldly" to ask for the body.  In other words, he acts as a disciple would.  Pilate is surprised that Jesus' death has been so rapid, but he is glad to have the worry of the disposal of Jesus body removed from his concern.  Joseph provides a tomb and rolls a stone across its entrance.  Is he the bookend of the anonymous woman who gives up her burial perfume giving up his burial place?

Mark really seems to want to emphasize Jesus abandonment by his inner circle and the twelve.  They are replaced by Simon of Cyrene, the centurion, Mary, Mary, Salome, the other women and Joseph.  Jesus is abandoned, but not alone.

Jesus Crucified

¹⁶ The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. ¹⁸ And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” ¹⁹ Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. ²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

²¹ A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. ²² They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). ²³ Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

²⁷ They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. ²⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads, and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,³⁰ come down from the cross and save yourself!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Following the judgment of Pilate, Jesus is brought to the soldier's barracks.  There before them all, he is tortured.  One needs only think back to Abu Ghraib to be reminded how the culture of the professional soldier can easily lead to horrific abuse of those they identify as their enemy when in captivity.

They begin by dressing Jesus in a parody of regal attire.  A purple robe denotes royalty and the crown of thorns not only mimics a royal crown, but also has thorns which push into the head of the one wearing it.  Like Pilate, their concern is that Jesus has some claim to political governance.  They look at the broken bleeding man before them and kneel in feigned obeisance.  Hail, King of the Jews.

This coronation functions not only as entertainment for the soldiers, but also as an ironic comment by Mark.  They are truly crowning the king, but it is a king unlike any they have seen.  Jesus' suffering does not disqualify him, but instead qualifies him to lay claim to God's messiah.

Jesus appears unable to carry the cross bar for himself and a random man from the crowd is conscripted to help him.  Simon is from Cyrene which makes him a North African.  So, the man who helps Jesus is dark-skinned.  We are told of his sons Rufus and Alexander as if we should know who they are.  We don't, but the implication is that Simon and his family became parts of the church.

The text's words to describe the incident of the cross are similar to Mark's earlier admonition from Jesus to take up his cross and follow.  Unlike the other disciples, Simon is doing what Jesus requires.

Jesus is brought to the place of public execution which is outside the city limits.  There he is offered wine with myrrh as a sedative which he refuses.  Although Mark has used fully one third of the gospel on Jesus' passion, his description of the crucifixion is remarkable for its brevity and lack of detail.  Once again, just as the soldiers have stripped Jesus of his purple cloak, Jesus garments are removed and become the spoils of a game of chance.

Above Jesus head is written the charge against him.  "King of the Jews" is the way that Pilate and the soldiers have addressed him.  Of course, the term Messiah or Christ used by the Jewish religious leaders does have this political implication as well.  The irony is that the plaque is right even as the claim is rejected both by the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans.

Joining Jesus are two criminals on either side.  Mark reports no conversation between Jesus and the thieves.  The disciples have asked to be at Jesus right and left hand.  Now that Jesus is crucified they are nowhere to be found.  On his right and left are criminals.

The crowd that is gathered mocks Jesus.  "If you are so great, save yourself."  It is easy to remember that Jesus told his disciples that whoever saves their life will lose it.  Jesus choose to lose his life so that he may return to life and offer life to others.

The religious leaders on hand suggest that if he is the Messiah, the king of Israel, (using both the religious and political titles) to show them something and they will believe.  When Jesus first calls the disciples, he tells them to "come and see".  Jesus ministry of miracles is bracketed by the healing of two blind men.  They have seen all this, but they will not believe, and it takes little imagination to believe that even if they were to see Jesus leave the cross that they would still not believe.

The final indignity is that even the ones who are crucified with him join in the mockery.  Jesus on the cross is surrounded by people, but is utterly alone.

Trial By Pilate

Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin,made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.

² “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

³ The chief priests accused him of many things. ⁴ So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”

⁵ But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

⁶ Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. ⁷ A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. ⁸ The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

⁹ “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, ¹⁰ knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. ¹¹ But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

¹² “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

¹³ “Crucify him!” they shouted.

¹⁴ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

From the night time informal court, Jesus is brought to Pilate.  The Jewish leaders on their own could not carry out capital punishment.  It was a level of punishment reserved for the Romans.  They have decided that Jesus blasphemy is worthy of death, but while his "I am" statement would have been offensive to them, it would have been merely words to the Roman occupiers.  They have to decide what they can accuse Jesus of that will be significant enough for the death penalty.

They appear from Pilate's question to have decided to paint Jesus as an insurrectionist against Rome.  While claims to divinity wouldn't have worried Pilate much, claims to political power would have been taken very seriously.  "Are you the king?" Pilate asks.  Jesus terse reply seems to indicate that he is acknowledging the charge while not confirming or denying it.

And so the trial begins.  The charges are numerous, but Jesus remains silent. Mark clearly places the trial in parallel to the scene in the high priest's courtyard.  Jesus is falsely accused and speaks only in direct answer to a question from the presiding official.  

The charade of the charges is clear to Pilate, and he is amazed that Jesus does not offer a defense.  So Pilate is left to make the judgement.  He hopes that by invoking the tradition of clemency for one prisoner, he will avoid having to condemn a man he knows to be innocent.  So likely in providing the choice of prisoners he seeks to make it a stark contrast and easy decision.  Do you want the King of the Jews to be free or a murderer.  He may or may not know that Barabbas is Hebrew for "son of the father".  So in a way, he offers them the choice between the son of the father who brings life and the son of the father who brings death.

And the mob incited by the chief priests choose death.  They cry for Barabbas' release and Jesus death.  Crucifixion appears to have been the Roman's preferred execution as it served as a public and continuing warning to others.

Sadly Pilate is the kind of leader who leads from behind.  The crowd is in a furor and he doesn't really care all that much and so Jesus is handed back to the Jews so that they can crucify him.